didn’t want you to lose focus. There is too much now to even try, but if you wish, I can control it a little, but I doubt that you would even notice a difference.
“No need,” Bren said. “It’s too late now. I’ll just have to learn how to control this.”
Cass found a young woman who showed them to the bath. It was a large open air bath that sat nestled among an array of large rocks behind the house. There was a tall wall so that they didn’t have to worry about being seen. Around the bath, there were a number of large rocks, making it look more like a small shallow pond than a bath.
After washing their body and rinsing the soap away, they entered the bath. The water was a lot hotter than Bren was expecting, but thanks to his new body, it didn’t really bother him, though Cass had to ease himself slowly into the water.
Cass drifted down into the water and looked to be thoroughly enjoying himself. He didn’t want to bother his friend, so while he waited, Bren let his mind drift into the water. It felt different from the other bodies of water he had been in. He didn’t know how, but he knew that there were minerals in the water that helped encourage the body to heal itself.
Bren had to force himself to drift with the water. It felt welcoming, but he reminded himself that he still had his own things to attend to. When Cass stood and readied himself to exit the bath, Bren followed him. Once they returned to the main room, they found Hayao waiting on them.
“How did it go?” Bren asked, noticing that there was a troubled aura coming from the man.
“It did not go as bad as I had thought it would, but then again it did not go well either. The head of the house has decided that my willful line should not continue with the house.”
“What does that mean?” Faye asked looking worried.
“It means that weather you are deemed a threat or not, I will be forced to leave the village. Neither I nor my children may return. We have been banished,” Hayao said, his face remaining outwardly calm while his heart raced with fears and doubts.
“I wish it had not come to this,” Bren said bowing to the man. “If you wish, you may return to my town. You have done us a great service, and no matter the outcome here, you will always be welcome.”
“Thank you, my lord,” Hayao said, though Bren could tell that he could not make a decision at the moment.
There was a tense feeling in the room, and it was covered by a strange silence, but no one was willing to break it. As night approached, everyone went to their respective places to sleep without a word. Even though Bren didn’t really feel anything, he still knew that it was a fragile situation. Without knowing what else to do, Bren lay down to sleep. After a few moments, he felt Faye’s arm snake around him as she pressed closely to his body. Feeling her warmth, he drifted off to a troubled sleep.
Chapter 3
It was three days before the council of masters called them. As they slowly walked toward the building, Bren could feel the pressure as soon as he saw the building. Keeping his mind focused, Bren didn’t let the pressure emanating from inside the building bother him.
“You may wait outside,” the young person who was waiting outside the building told Hayao when they arrived. Bren went to say something in response, but Hayao stopped him with an outstretched arm. Bren watched as Hayao walked toward a small tree and sat beneath it.
Unlike the last time they were standing before the masters, Bren didn’t let himself become intimidated. Instead, he allowed himself to sink deeper into himself as he watched the masters closely. Bren was surprised that even though he was watching them, he still couldn’t detect the slightest waiver in them.
“It is no use,” the master at the head of the table said. “You can look all you want, but we are not as easy to read as your friends.”
“You knew what I was doing?” Bren asked slightly startled.
“It is a high level technique that many of our high level men can use,” the master said. “I admit that I am surprised that an outsider can use the gift as well.”
“That makes two of us,” Bren said. “I didn’t